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I am interested in applying Experimantal Psychology in Oxford. The thing that is bothering me is I have chinese A1 as a self-taught subject. In other words, my school is unable to give me a predicted grade on this subject... Will this lower the chance of getting an interview chance?

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  • 1 month later...

I'm applying to Experimental Psychology too! ^^

Does anyone have any advice for the interview? I searched all over the internet and couldn't find much on EP interviews. It would really be great to get a feel of the questions that they ask, since right now, I have absolutely no clue... I think at least knowing the general direction of a psychology interview would be really helpful.

Cheers :S

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I don't know about Experimental Psychology but if it's experimental they're sure to ask you about some experiments! I'd suggest getting used to interpreting data (they like to give you questions and then ask you to answer them on the spot, like graphs etc.) and that kind of thing as well as reading around the subject. If you can look for some of the more famous experiments or the biggest breakthrough kind-of experiments that might help.

Also if you know which college you'll be interviewed at, interviewers almost always like to ask something vaguely related to their specialist subject and if you can spy ahead that's always a smart move because it gives you ideas for the sorts of topic to look at -- you can find loads of information about your interviewer's specialties etc. on the college websites :S

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I don't know about Experimental Psychology but if it's experimental they're sure to ask you about some experiments! I'd suggest getting used to interpreting data (they like to give you questions and then ask you to answer them on the spot, like graphs etc.) and that kind of thing as well as reading around the subject. If you can look for some of the more famous experiments or the biggest breakthrough kind-of experiments that might help.

Also if you know which college you'll be interviewed at, interviewers almost always like to ask something vaguely related to their specialist subject and if you can spy ahead that's always a smart move because it gives you ideas for the sorts of topic to look at -- you can find loads of information about your interviewer's specialties etc. on the college websites :)

Finding out more about the admission tutors sounds like a good idea. Thanks :)

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I don't know about Experimental Psychology but if it's experimental they're sure to ask you about some experiments! I'd suggest getting used to interpreting data (they like to give you questions and then ask you to answer them on the spot, like graphs etc.) and that kind of thing as well as reading around the subject. If you can look for some of the more famous experiments or the biggest breakthrough kind-of experiments that might help.

Also if you know which college you'll be interviewed at, interviewers almost always like to ask something vaguely related to their specialist subject and if you can spy ahead that's always a smart move because it gives you ideas for the sorts of topic to look at -- you can find loads of information about your interviewer's specialties etc. on the college websites :S

Finding out more about the admission tutors sounds like a good idea. Thanks :)

If you already have a special interest in some area of experimental psychology you might want to find a professor who's special area it is and apply to his or hers college. Thus you'd have a better chance of being taught by that person. Also, in general make sure that the college you want to apply to actually has someone teaching experimental psychology (I take it you're applying to Oxford since Cambridge only offers PPS). And maybe check out how many students they normally take for that subject and decide if you want to be in a larger group or mainly just you and someone else at your college doing experimental psychology.

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  • 2 months later...
  • 5 weeks later...

It varies slightly what they require. For example my offer was 42 and 777 at HL (got in with 43 and 776 HL however), and my friend who applied to Oxford got an offer of 40 points. I'd say that in the range of 40+ to be considered seriously, most preferably a bit higher, and at least 776 in your HLs. However, the process of getting in isn't simply about your grades, the interviews and possible exams play a very significant role.

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  • 1 month later...

It varies slightly what they require. For example my offer was 42 and 777 at HL (got in with 43 and 776 HL however), and my friend who applied to Oxford got an offer of 40 points. I'd say that in the range of 40+ to be considered seriously, most preferably a bit higher, and at least 776 in your HLs. However, the process of getting in isn't simply about your grades, the interviews and possible exams play a very significant role.

Pardon my ignorance... but what do you all mean by "offers" of points from the universities? Is that the total from the points received on the IB exams?

Also, Scade, under your Oct. 4 post, you listed your predicted and actual IB exam scores. Is there a method for predicting scores, or are they guesses? And what requirement didn't you meet for Christ's College? Your scores look good to me...

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I have several questions about this whole process.

1. How do most people choose their colleges?

2. How much preparation should one do for the interviews?

3. If one is not of a particularly sociable type, does that influence the results of the interview?

4. Are many applicants asked to take the exam? How challenging is it?

5. What other UK universities are considered to be on the same level as Oxford and Cambridge? (In the US, we have the Ivy League, etc.)

6. Do any Oxford and Cambridge graduates go on to take careers in something other than the subject that they read? (ex. read psychology and take a profession in the performing arts)

I would appreciate any advice on these points.

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It varies slightly what they require. For example my offer was 42 and 777 at HL (got in with 43 and 776 HL however), and my friend who applied to Oxford got an offer of 40 points. I'd say that in the range of 40+ to be considered seriously, most preferably a bit higher, and at least 776 in your HLs. However, the process of getting in isn't simply about your grades, the interviews and possible exams play a very significant role.

Pardon my ignorance... but what do you all mean by "offers" of points from the universities? Is that the total from the points received on the IB exams?

Also, Scade, under your Oct. 4 post, you listed your predicted and actual IB exam scores. Is there a method for predicting scores, or are they guesses? And what requirement didn't you meet for Christ's College? Your scores look good to me...

UK universities operate on a basis where you normally apply to university while doing for final year at high school. Therefore they give 'offers' which set conditions for your grades in order for them to give you a place. So basically they're saying 'if you get this many points in the IB we'll let you in'. And yeah, the offers (at least all of the ones I received) were out of the total points in the IB (so out of 45, not 42), and in addition there were several conditions for my higher level subjects.

The predicted scores are simply those your teachers predict to you. Normally they're based on previous exams you've done during the IB and your overall performance. Although I had a different set of predicted scores for my university applications (since the predictions were made in October), and the ones I was predicted to get in my exams (I think they're given around February or something). Although the only difference was that in one of them I was predicted 7 in maths and 6 in physics, and in the other 7 in physics and 6 in maths (well both of them wrong evidently since I got 7 in both of them.

At some schools your teachers are willing to tell you what they've predicted, at others no.

Christ's College wanted me to get 7's in all of my higher levels and I only got a 6 in Finnish A1 HL. Didn't really matter much they were rather quick to inform me that they'd let me in anyway, and my director of studies (the one responsible for admissions to history) didn't even remember that I'd failed my offer.

I have several questions about this whole process.

1. How do most people choose their colleges?

2. How much preparation should one do for the interviews?

3. If one is not of a particularly sociable type, does that influence the results of the interview?

4. Are many applicants asked to take the exam? How challenging is it?

5. What other UK universities are considered to be on the same level as Oxford and Cambridge? (In the US, we have the Ivy League, etc.)

6. Do any Oxford and Cambridge graduates go on to take careers in something other than the subject that they read? (ex. read psychology and take a profession in the performing arts)

I would appreciate any advice on these points.

1. There are as many ways of doing this as there are people applying to Cambridge probably. I chose Christ's College because of its central location, size (not too big, not too small), its reputation for history, and just the feel I got when I came here for open days. In addition I was slightly lured by the possibility of getting an 'easy offer' which they occasionally used to give although their giving up the practice (and a bad choice anyway, since my offer was 42 and 777 at HL). Others here chose Christ's because it was the first one in the alphabet. Generally, just think of some things you deem important (location, size, age, whatever really) and start going through the websites of the colleges, preferably if you can make it go to the open days (although I understand this might be difficult since you're from the US).

2. Depends on the subject you're applying for. The best way to prepare is to do well in the courses relevant to the subject you're applying for. And a second way is to deepen and broaden your knowledge of the subject by reading around (probably more applicable to humanities than to sciences). Mainly I just read around and enjoyed the subject. Don't revise and study too much, you want to be thinking originally and from many angles at the interview not simply repeating stuff you've memorized. Anyway the interviews tend to do stuff you aren't expecting so it isn't even possible to practice that much.

3. I don't think it will, not everyone here is very sociable, would also depend on the subject though. I mean you have to cope with the supervision environment (at least for humanities) were you would do a weekly piece of work and then go on to discuss it in detail with your supervisor. However, they do understand that people can be shy or simply not that sociable. Overwhelmingly the focus is on academics (so not like Ivy leagues where you need a ton of extra-curriculars and stuff). If you're overwhelmingly sociable, but not really that good in your subject you won't get in. On the other hand, if you're not sociable, but talented and engaged in your subject you stand a good chance of getting in.

4. I don't know what exam you talk about, you have to do finals in the IB or whatever. Apart from that it depends on your college and subject what they demand. At Christ's for history you don't need to do any exams. Everyone who gets an offer for maths at Cambridge has to do STEP I and STEP II exams, and so on. In Oxford everyone applying for history has to do a pre-interview exam. In general Oxford tend to rely more on exams than Cambridge since they eliminate more people before interviews. However, I cannot answer definitively without knowing your subject, uni and college choice :P The need to take an exam depends on those, not your skill or anything.

5. Depends on the subject, but overall Cambridge and Oxford stand in their own league, and obviously Cambridge is ahead of Oxford :P (I might be slightly biased). However, for economics, LSE is good, for computer science etc. Imperial College is good. I mean there are tons of good places for various subjects. Cambridge and Oxford just have a better reputation, more rigorous examination and teaching system (don't know how rigorous compared to Ivy league, but I know the MIT exchange students for Maths or engineering have to take the year below them so even if they're 3rd years they'd be doing 2nd year stuff here). I'm not saying that Oxbridge is the only place worth going to, there are many fantastic universities in UK elsewhere.

6. Plenty of people do that. Oxbridge tends to be seen as a rather good qualification in itself and opens doors other places might not. For example in the years above me 2 historians from my college have just been hired to work in the sphere of banking. So yeah, it is rather possible to do something completely different from what you've studied.

I hope I helped. If you have further questions about anything I'll be pleased to advice. Although obviously I know more about Cambridge and Oxford.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I want to do Law, preferably at Oxbridge or other reputable colleges in the UK. I was wondering if my courses would be beneficial to applying and studying there.

My courses:

HL: Music, History, English A1

SL: French B, Math, Chemistry

Also, would it hinder my chances if I dropped down to Math Studies? I'm not doing horribly; it's just that I despise maths soooo much... hehehe :D

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I want to do Law, preferably at Oxbridge or other reputable colleges in the UK. I was wondering if my courses would be beneficial to applying and studying there.

My courses:

HL: Music, History, English A1

SL: French B, Math, Chemistry

Also, would it hinder my chances if I dropped down to Math Studies? I'm not doing horribly; it's just that I despise maths soooo much... hehehe :D

History and English HL = thumbs up for law. Maths studies might not look too good on your application so if there's no need to drop (ie your not getting 4s) then I wouldn't do it. Your subjects look fine! You might want to start getting preped up for the LNATs by practicing your writing techniques and how you give an argument. Also keep up to date with the news and do several mock interviews.

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I want to do Law, preferably at Oxbridge or other reputable colleges in the UK. I was wondering if my courses would be beneficial to applying and studying there.

My courses:

HL: Music, History, English A1

SL: French B, Math, Chemistry

Also, would it hinder my chances if I dropped down to Math Studies? I'm not doing horribly; it's just that I despise maths soooo much... hehehe :D

To be honest, I don't think it matters too much if you want to do Law. They will not pick another applicant over you for doing Maths Studies - to be honest, I don't think they cared about my performance in anything except History (which is what I applied to do) except naturally that I had enough points to meet their standard offer. So you'd be better off spending your time doing something related to Law or studying for your other subjects instead of continuing Maths SL; I'm predicted a 7 from SL Maths as well and am pretty confident that I'll get that, but with hindsight I kind of wish I'd dropped it.

And yes, your courses seem very good for Law.

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  • 2 months later...

I was wondering if I could have some advice from those who have been there- I'm considering applying to Oxford as an international student to read law, mainly because the course looks really interesting (a focus on jurisprudence and exploring the law as an academic subject as opposed to a course with a vocational emphasis). I'm a bit worried they might not be so keen on my subjects however- HL English A1, Chemistry and Physics, SL French Ab Initio, Maths and Psychology (anticipated- 6). In your opinion, would my application be hindered by my science HLs?

Despite my subjects, I do find the little that I've learned of the law fascinating, and read legal cases and books about it to procrastinate my IB work ;). I've also been involved in a mooting (mock trial) competition and did some work experience at a local law firm. My TOK essay and presentation both involved ethics and I examined law as an application of my conclusions, while the aspects of my psychology course which I found the most exciting were in fact the legal applications of psychological findings.

These things considered, and my currently 'predicted' 776-777 at HL (though I haven't sat mocks yet, these numbers I have from talking to teachers so probably aren't particularly accurate haha), do you think it would be worth applying?

Best of luck to those waiting on exam results- I really hope all goes well! :)

Edited by tum_tum_tree
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Desy - yep they do, they arrange somebody to interview you in your location, I believe.

Tum_tum - I'd say so. Your HLs shouldn't count against you. There aren't really any requirements for Law as such, but you should have a good set of essay/argument type subjects. In that sense you do have English HL, which is good - generally people will also pick to do History or Philosophy sort of stuff, but at the same time your other HLs are hard ones so, eh. Nobody can second guess an admissions department, but they should be fine :P To be honest there's no harm in applying anyway, is there?

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